Apparatus for treating telegraph-tape



P. B. DELANY AND L. w. SHUMAKER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TELEGRAPH TAPE:

APPLICATION FILED NO V. 30. 19!].

Patented Aug. 24, 1920 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

xfi /l "w e o w P. B. DELANY AND L. W.' SHUMAKEH. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TELEGRAPH TAPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1917.

1, 350 78 9 Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK B. DELANY, OF SOUTI-I ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, AND LOUIS W. SI-IUMAKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASS-IGNORS TO TELEPOST COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A

CORPORATION OF MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TELEGRAPH-TAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. .24, 1920.

Application filed November 30, 1917. Serial No. 204,680.-

To' all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PATRICK B. DELANY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, and LoUIs W. SHU- MAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Telegraph-Tape, of which the'following is a specification.

The method of making the tape herein shown and described is claimed in the copending application of Patrick E. Delany,

filed July 9, 1917, No. 179,509.

As illustrated, Figure 1 shows conventionally the arrangement of parts appropriate for carrying out the invention.- Fig. 2 shows the tape lifted clear of the wetting wheel when the signals cease to be received.

Fig. 3 is a cross section showing the tape contained within its lifting arm; Fig. 4 shows the tape after the solution has been. applied according to our method.

Fig. 5 shows a section of the absorbent wick for the wetting wheel; and Fig. '6 shows the wetting wheel in section with the absorbent wick mounted in its periphery. Fig. 7 is a modified form of wetting wheel. shows means for supplying solution to the tra 11 carrying out our invention we preferably employ a supply reel 1 on which ismounted a roll of dry tape. 2 is a guide wheel vertically adjustable to regulate the contact between the tape 3 and the wetting wheel 4. 5 is a lifting arm having a slotted end 5 through which the tape passes while 6 is a guide roller tending to keep the tape in alinement between the wetting wheel 4 and the receiver. It will be. noted that the lifting arm 5 is supported by a spring attached to an adjusting screw. In this way the tension on the tape while passing over the wheel 4 may be very nicely adjusted so that the proper amount of the chemical solution may be applied to the tape. As soon as the feed of the tape is suspended, the arm' serves to lift the tape from the wheel. As before stated the guide wheel 2 is vertically adj ustable and also serves to regulate the contact between the solution applying wheel and the tape. At 7 we have indicated a receiver contact drum forming connection to the Fig. 8'

and the chemical tape 3.- 10 and 12 are pullmg rollers, suitably'rotated.

. The tray 13 holds the chemical solution 14.

By mean's of a knob 15 upon the shaft on which wheel 4 is mounted the wheel may be given a turnthrough the solution to insure saturation at the start of thatportion of the tape between the wetting wheel and the solution. This also avoids waste of time and of the tapes. But for this a considerable extent of blank tape would have to precede'the perforated signals at the transmitting station 1n order to allow the saturated tape to arriveat the marking finger -9. At the conclusion of the transmission the roller 12 is lifted from the driven roller 10 automatically as well understood'in the art. The ten- S1OI1 on the tape thereupon relaxes to permit the lifting arm 5 to raise 'the tape out of contact with the wetting wheel 4, thus avoiding over-saturation and weakening of the tape at that point during temporary inactivity.

The wetting wheel 4 may be formed with a peripheral groove to receive a wick 4, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Another form is shown in Fig. 7 where a circular piece of felt A is held by screws between two hard rubber disks-B, the felt being slightly wider than the disks.

The finished tape assumes the form shown in Fig. 4 where 16 designates the surface bearing the chemical solution and 17 the immersed in the chemical solution and motored by the tape as it is drawn over its upper rim. Around this feed wheel is handed the absorbent wick 4 which carries the solution to the under side of the tape in any quantity desired, the saturation being regulable by in'crease'or decrease of the contact of the tape with the supply wheel. In practice good results are obtained by use of a wheel about three inches in diameter and one-eighth of an inch in width. The delivered solution, spreading to a width of about one-fourth 'of an inch, leaves about one eighth of an inch of dry tape on each side. In this way the strength of the tape is equal to any strain put upon it, breaking is contact between the tape and the -wheel,

slopping of solution.

It is advisable to provide means for autothereby facilitating and preventing waste or matically suppl ing the chemical solution to p the tray 13.

n appropriate structure. is shown in Fig. 8. ,The tray 13 is shown communicating with a large container, as a bottle 18. This bottle has an opening in its lower portion in which is a rubber stopper 19 drilled topermit the entrance at an angle of a glass tube 20 having a stop cook 21. A rubber base 22 leads from the tube into tray 13. While the level of solution in 13 covers the end of the hose no flow occurs, but when this level drops and exposes the hose end, an air bubble passes to the container and permits'more solution to pass to the tray.

It will be observed that the contact devices 7 and 9 are interposed between the tapead-vancing mechanism (10, 12) and the wetting wheel 15. It will also be observed that the treated portion ofthe tape is arranged I centrally thereon and that there are untreated' portions on opposite sides of the treated portion. If the treated portion of the tapeshould be immediately presented to thecontact devices there would be too much moisture or liquid on the tape to obtain the best results, but inasmuch as the tape is of absorbent material surplus moisture is absorbed by the marginal portions of the tape beforereaching the contact devices. Y

In the pending application of Patrick B.

are not claimed in said application of June a We claim as our invention:

* 1. In anapparatus for treating telegraph tape, means for. advancing thetape, a container of chemical solution, a wheel whose periphery is immersed in the solution and which is formed with a groove, and a wick insald groove, said tape-passing in-contact with the wick and the wick being narrower treating telegraph tainer of chemical solution, a wetting wheel for the tape operating-in said solution and having an absorbent peripheral portion for applying to the middle portion of the under side of the tape a line of solution while the -marginal portions. are not thus treated and which thus serve to absorb excess moisture from the treated portion of the tape.

4. In an apparatus for treating-telegraph tape, means for advancing the tape, a container for a chemical solution, a wheel whose periphery is immersed in the solution and which applies solution to-the underside of the tape, means for automatically supplying liquid'to said'container, and means for re volving said wheel independently of any movement given thereto by the tape.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

- PATRICK B. DELANY- LOUIS W. SHUMAKER. 

